UNTIL WE PRAY-II—Matthew 6:5-15(:9-13)
Attention:
This country(America) is a great country when she embraces truth...
This country(America) is not a great country when she shirks/releases truth.
We cannot celebrate independence unless we celebrate independence from sin, self, & the world, thru a dependence upon God in Christ.
Need:
?Can America receive God’s blessings when she will not embrace the true & living God?
Jesus presented a model to guide His disciples praying.
God’s people have guidance to help them in prayer.
How are God’s people to direct/guide their prayers?
When are our prayers successful?
10 realities which must be embraced for successful prayer.
We discovered this morning that,
Until we Pray we are not free...
We are not free until we embrace...
1. God’s MANNER(:9a)
2— We are not free until we embrace...
God’s FATHERHOOD(:9b)
Explanation:(:9b)
:9—“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
Prayer must first of all be directed to the “Father.” He is not only my Father but “our” Father as well. That is, He is the God of all who hold to His truth in Christ. I am not so much recognized because of my individuality, but rather as I am a part of a greater whole.
I am recognized as more than me alone. I am part of the body of Christ. Without my part, the body suffers loss, & likewise without the remainder of the body, I personally suffer loss. Apart from that body I lose my identity.
Fathers have authority over their family—their sons & daughters.
He is charged with your proper raising. With your perfect raising!
“Our Father” lives “in” a place called “heaven.” He is to be addressed as being wholly separate from the world in which sin exists & is given opportunity for either obedience or rejection. However “our Father” is not limited to heaven because He is the Creator of the earth, the universe & the highest heavens(Gen. 1) or the third heaven(2Cor. 12:2). Though not limited to heaven, He is nonetheless to be addressed in a manner that regards His rightful place above all things(“in heaven”). “Our Father” is thus to be approached thru prayer in the very real sense of His being ‘untouchable’ by the likes of myself a sinner among sinful humanity. God “our Father’s” solution for sinners breaking thru such untouchableness is only by faith in Christ.
“Father”(Thruout)—pathr—
“Heaven”(See :11)—ouranov—1) The vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it—1a) The universe, the world, 1b) The aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds & the tempests gather, & where thunder & lightning are produced, 1c) The sidereal or starry heavens; 2) The region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal & consummately perfect where God dwells & other heavenly beings. Strong—The sky; by extension--Heaven(as the abode of God); by implication--Happiness, power, eternity; specifically--The Gospel(Christianity).
Argumentation:
Jer. 29:11—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace & not of evil, to give you a future & a hope.”
Isa. 64:8—“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, & You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
Ps. 103:13—“As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.”
Lk. 15:11-24—“Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. “And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, & there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, & he began to be in want. Then he went & joined himself to a citizen of that country, & he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, & no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough & to spare, & I perish with hunger! ‘I will arise & go to my father, & will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven & before you, & I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ “And he arose & came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him & had compassion, & ran & fell on his neck & kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven & in your sight, & am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe & put it on him, & put a ring on his hand & sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here & kill it, & let us eat & be merry; for this my son was dead & is alive again; he was lost & is found.’ And they began to be merry.”
Illustration:
All young men aspire to Dad’s position, respect & power/God’s FATHERHOOD
Depending upon how your Daddy treated you, you approach him as your Daddy(one who loves you & seeks your welfare)/God’s FATHERHOOD
If your Daddy did well for himself & his family you may seek to have a house comparable to the house he provided/God’s FATHERHOOD
Application:
?Your Prayers embrace God’s FATHERHOOD?
?Can America receive God’s blessings when she will not embrace God?
3— We are not free until we embrace...
God’s REVERENCE(:9c)
Explanation:(:9c)
:9—“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
“Our Father’s” “name” is to be revered or “hallowed.” His “name” rightly carries with it all that “our Father” is & means & has a capacity for. At its very mention, His “name” carries with it, the fullness of “our Father’s” character & ability, as well as His every attribute. As God’s people, we are to see fit that “our Father’s” “name” is “hallowed” in every place & thus among all & everything. As God is the Creator of all things(including humanity) His “name” is to be “hallowed” among His creation. Of course mankind has a unique capacity as being created in God’s image(Gen. 1:26-27) to “hallow” “our Father” uniquely. One aspect of this unique “hallowing” is thru the conduit of prayer itself. Mankind has a capacity to relate to God as “our Father” & praise Him thru heart, word, & practice.
God stands apart from everything that is not God.
He stands apart from all that is created because He is not created. He is self-existent. That is key to understanding YaHWeH(Ex. 3:14).
“Hallowed/Honored as Holy”—agiazw—1) To render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow; 2) To separate from profane things & dedicate to God—2a) Consecrate things to God, 2b) Dedicate people to God; 3) To purify—3a) To cleanse externally, 3b) To purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin, 3c) To purify internally by renewing of the soul. Strong—To make holy, i.e. ceremonially--Purify or consecrate; mentally--To venerate.
“Name”—onoma—1) Name: universally of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.; 3) Persons reckoned up by name; 4) The cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason. Strong—A "name" (literally or figuratively) [authority, character].
Argumentation:
**Lev. 10:3—“And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’”.....”
Ezek. 28:22—““& say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst; And they shall know that I am the LORD, When I execute judgments in her & am hallowed in her.”
Jn. 13:31-32—“So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, & God is glorified in Him. “If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, & glorify Him immediately.”
**Ps. 33:8—“Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”
Ex. 15:2—“The LORD is my strength & song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, & I will praise Him; My father’s God, & I will exalt Him.”
**Lk. 14:11—““For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
2Cor 10:4-6—“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Ps. 69:30—“I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”
**Deut. 10:17-18—““For the LORD your God is God of gods & Lord of lords, the great God, mighty & awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless & the widow, & loves the stranger, giving him food & clothing.”
**Job. 37:22—[Elihu]“....With God is awesome majesty.”
Neh. 1:5—“...LORD God of heaven, O great & awesome God, You who keep Your covenant & mercy with those who love You & observe Your commandments...”
Jer. 20:11—“But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, & will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.”
Gen. 14:17-20—“And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer & the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread & wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him & said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven & earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.”
Heb. 12:25-29—“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
Illustration:
A Brand name(boat, car, clothing, etc.)/Well respected for its robustness--high quality--/God’s REVERENCE
My ‘tall’ shirts/They are never used for manual labor/They are for dress only/God’s REVERENCE
My wife is set apart from all others/I reverence her above all other women/God’s REVERENCE
Application:
?Your Prayers embrace God’s REVERENCE?
?Can America receive God’s blessings when she will not embrace God?
4— We are not free until we embrace...
God’s SOVEREIGNTY(:10a)
Explanation:(:10a)
:10—“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.”
God’s people are to make it a matter of prayer that the Father’s “kingdom” will indeed “come.” This implies that our Father’s “kingdom” has not yet fully arrived. Partially, but not fully. Thus it is the prerogative of the Christian to ask God to bring His “kingdom” to its proper & intended manifestation. If we ask God to supply, then we must be prepared to receive it. And in our willingness & actual reception of it we must be prepared for its reception. That is, our lives must be aligned with His to such a degree that the reception of the “kingdom” will be seamless. Thus our individuality as well as our global/universal relationships come into play. This kingdom” recalls that God our Father dwells in heaven(:10). What a high goal to attain to thru the avenue of prayer!
Sovereignty is found in such titles as: Ruler/King/Master/Lord/Almighty.
We cannot advance God’s kingdom thru man’s government!
God’s people should & can provide place for God’s kingdom to reign!
“Kingdom”(See :13)—basileia—1) Royal power, kingship, dominion, rule—1a) Not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, 1b) Of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah, 1c) Of the royal power & dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah's kingdom; 2) A kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king; 3) used in the N.T.--To refer to the reign of the Messiah. Strong—properly--Royalty, i.e. abstractly--Rule, or concretely--A realm(literally or figuratively).
“Come”—ercomai—1) To come—1a) of persons—1a1) To come from one place to another, & used both of persons arriving & of those returning, 1a2) To appear, make one's appearance, come before the public; 2) metaph.—2a) To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, 2b) Be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto; 3) To go, to follow one. Ercomai denotes motion or progress generally, & of any sort, hence to "come" & arrive at, as well as "to go"
Argumentation:
**1Tim. 6:13-16—“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, & before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed & only Potentate, the King of kings & Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor & everlasting power. Amen.”
1Cor. 15:22-28—“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule & all authority & power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
Heb. 4:12-13—“For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked & open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
**Mat. 6:33—““But seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you.”
**Mat. 4:17—“...Jesus began to preach & to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Mat. 13:44-50—““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found & hid; & for joy over it he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had & bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea & gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; & they sat down & gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, “& cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing & gnashing of teeth.””
Rom. 11:25—“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” God has set a time which cannot be changed by anyone other than Himself.
Illustration:
One night after I came in from watering the plants, I noticed both cats(Bazooka & Cheerwine) sitting on our half-wall & staring at a particular spot on the ceiling/Then Bazooka tried his best to reach that spot/I noticed a huge palmetto bug(2 ½+ in.) which had obvious come in with me from outside/It was a healthy specimen, handsome indeed(for a roach!)/It was lazily cleaning his antennae & feet/Fully satisfied with its place above the reach of the watch-cats/But there is a major problem for the bug—We won’t allow roaches in our house/I disposed of the roach!/The church employs an exterminator to take care of that problem/Destroys the roach problem/We have exercised our authority over any roach that would think otherwise/God’s SOVEREIGNTY—There will be no ‘roaches’-as it were- in heaven.
Cities in Europe at the end of WWII/Videos of French embracing Allied soldiers as the Nazis were defeated/The Allies quashed the Axis powers/Ushering in a new prosperity for many/God’s SOVEREIGNTY
Democrats or Republicans or Independents or Libertarian/Will these Rule?/God’s SOVEREIGNTY
Application:
?Your Prayers embrace God’s SOVEREIGNTY?
?Can America receive God’s blessings when she will not embrace God?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Independence Day history.
Action:
We are not free until we embrace...
2. God’s FATHERHOOD(:9b)
3. God’s REVERENCE(:9c)
4. God’s SOVEREIGNTY(:10a)
1. God’s MANNER(:9a)
Presented 07/06/2014pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
